Additional tickets become available for Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum dedication         

[APRIL 15, 2005]  SPRINGFIELD -- Additional tickets have become available for the dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. Tickets for the event will be free of charge and available today (Friday) through Sunday on a first-come, first-served basis with a limit of two tickets per person. A government issued photo ID will be required for ticket pickup.

Today, the additional tickets are available until 4:30 p.m. at the Municipal Center West at Seventh and Monroe streets. On Saturday and Sunday, tickets will be distributed at the information booth on the northeast quadrant of the Old State Capitol grounds at Washington and Sixth streets from 1 to 4 p.m.

Dedication shuttle service: There will be no parking near the presidential museum on dedication day. A free dedication shuttle bus system will run from the state fairgrounds beginning at 7 a.m. on dedication morning and continuing until 7 p.m. Everyone planning to attend the dedication should plan to arrive early and use this free service. Only those people holding a ticket to the event will be allowed on the shuttle from the fairgrounds.

The dedication will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday with a concert featuring music by the 312th Army Band, followed by the official ceremony at 11 a.m.

Security procedures will be enhanced for the protection of all participants and guests. Metal detectors may be used and all bags are subject to search. Backpacks and other luggage are prohibited. Please allow enough time for standard security procedures.

A full schedule of the official dedication celebration events is below:

Schedule of events

Saturday

• 2005 Presidential Race, 8:30 a.m.

• Museum open, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., with paid admission.

• Looking for Lincoln block party, 10 a.m.- 9 p.m., downtown Springfield, from the Old State Capitol to Lincoln's family home neighborhood to the museum -- A two-day celebration featuring living history, music, theater troupes, choirs, folk dancers and artists from across the country.

• Culinary Court, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., along Washington Street, north of the Old State Capitol -- A food festival featuring cuisine from Springfield area restaurants.

Sunday

• Museum open, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., with paid admission.

• Scholarly conference "Lincoln in the Twenty-First Century," all day, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library -- A two-day conference will examine everything from Lincoln's attitude toward race and his domestic life to his wartime leadership and assassination. The conference will conclude at 3:30 p.m. on Monday with a panel hosted by C-SPAN's Brian Lamb and featuring three generations of the world's foremost Lincoln scholars: David Herbert Donald, Harold Holzer, Matthew Pinsker and David Gergen. (This conference is sold out.)

• Day two of Looking for Lincoln block party, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

• Day two of Culinary Court, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

• Interfaith service of thanksgiving for the life of Abraham Lincoln, 2 p.m., Union Square Park. In case of rainout, the service will be at the Prairie Capital Convention Center.

• Recreation of Lincoln's Farewell Address, followed by a torchlight parade, 6:30 p.m., Old Train Depot to Union Square Park and the presidential museum.

• Outdoor concert, fireworks and laser spectacular, 8 p.m., Union Square Park, with musical accompaniment by the 312th Army Band.

Monday

• Breakfast sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Association, 7:30 a.m., Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library -- This breakfast will feature an outlook to the year 2009 and progress reports from the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. (This event is sold out.)

• Day two of scholarly conference "Lincoln in the Twenty-First Century," all day, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. (This conference is sold out.)

• Re-created Lincoln White House state dinner, 6:30 p.m., Renaissance Hotel for cocktail hour and event registration. The dinner has been moved to the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield. -- This fundraiser for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation will feature a Lincoln-era menu and 19th-century music courtesy of the 312th Army Band. The first David Herbert Donald Prize for excellence in Lincoln studies will be presented to its namesake, the author of the definitive one-volume Lincoln biography. Tickets are $500 per person and benefit the foundation.

Tuesday, April 19

• Public dedication, 10 a.m. outdoor band concert by the 312th Army Band followed by the official dedication ceremony at 11 a.m., Union Square Park -- Gov. Blagojevich and other prominent figures will speak at this hour-long event signaling the official opening of the museum. Additionally, the winner of a student essay contest sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and C-SPAN will read his or her modern-day version of the Gettysburg Address to the crowd.

The museum's grand opening will follow the dedication, giving the public the opportunity to experience firsthand the museum's 40,000-square-foot area of permanent exhibits -- twice the size of any other presidential museum.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Admission will be charged. The museum will reopen on April 19 immediately following the dedication at no charge.

[Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum news release]